Participants share what Red Earth Festival means to them

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OKLAHOMA CITY – People from all over the country are attending the 30th annual Red Earth Festival at the Cox Convention Center.

"There's such an amazing array of native artistry. It's beautiful,” said Amy Taulman.

Taulman, who is a part of the Lipan-Apache tribe, said that is her favorite part about Red Earth.

Taulman is from Austin, visiting the festival for the first time.

"I love that the dance exhibition is very educational and that there's a lot of information shared with the public about each style of dance, and you usually don't get that at a traditional pow wow,” Taulman said.

She said the artwork and dancing are great ways to teach others about Native American culture.

"It can become something that seems like it's dead, and the culture is still alive,” Taulman said.

"It's really cool to come out here and see all of the different tribes that people represent and get to watch all the dance styles, and it's great to show other people of other cultures what Native American culture is about,” said Madeleine Freeman.

Freeman, Meikle and Victoria Eckiwardy represent different tribes and enjoy coming together for the festival each year.

"It's fun to talk about it, and you can show them your different dances and outfits,” Eckiwardy said.

"I would encourage people to come out, because this is a great festival, and it shows a lot of things, and people can participate in the culture. They can see what's so beautiful about it and learn more about it,” Meikle said.

The 30th annual Red Earth Festival wraps up on Sunday from 10 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cox Convention Center.